BlackMask Breaking News

The Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Friday as a second surging of the coronavirus continues to batter a pandemic-weary nation. The approval clears the way for the first wave of American recipients — millions of health workers and nursing home residents — to begin getting shots in mere days. “The first vaccine will be administered in less than 24 hours,” Trump said Friday night at 9:30 p.m. “The governors decide where the vaccines will go in their state, and who will get them first. We want our senior citizens, health care workers and first responders to be first in line.” The historic go-ahead marks the beinning of the end of the pandemic in the United States, where more than 294,000 people have died of COVID-19. The vaccine, developed by the Manhattan-based Pfizer and the German company BioNTech, and designed to be given in two doses that are three weeks apart, will be the first vaccine against the coronavirus distributed in the U.S. “Today our nation has achieved a medical miracle,” President Trump said in a statement tweeted Friday night. “We have delivered a safe and effective vaccine in just nine months. This is one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in history.” Ongoing trials involving some 44,000 recipients show it is indeed 95% effective in warding off illness, including for the elderly and for people with pre-existing health conditions; detailed data also show it is safe to take. The rollout, however, will be slow, as initial supplies are scarce. An estimated three million doses are expected in the first shipments around the country. Earlier Friday, a review of the clinical trial data ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo found that there were no problems with the vaccine, clearing the way for its distribution in New York. Trump credited Friday night’s success to “Operation Warp Speed,” which he called “the greatest medical manufacturing endeavor in American history.” The program channelled $14 billion in federal funds into the race to develop, manufacture and distribute effective vaccines. Nearly $2 billion funded Pfizer’s effort to produce 100 million doses now, with an option to produce an additional 500 million doses, Trump said Friday night. The doses will be free of charge, he said. “It will save millions of lives and soon end the pandemic once and for all,” Trump said of the start of vaccinations. “We have given Pfizer and other companies a great deal of money hoping this would be the outcome,” he said. “And it was. On behalf of the American people, I would like to thank all of the brilliant scientists, technicians, doctors and workers who made this all possible. Pfizer and Moderna have announced their vaccines are approximately 95 percent effective, far exceeding expectations,” he noted. “These vaccines are also very safe. American citizens participated in clinical trials that were far larger than normal, and had no serious side effects. “The dedicated and independent experts at the FDA meticulously studied the results of the trials and it has now passed the gold standard of safety,” he said. “The United States is the first nation in the world to produce a verifiably safe and effective vaccine. Today’s achievement is a reminder of America’s unlimited potential when we have the will and the courage to pursue ambitious goals,” he said. “As I’ve said from the beginning, a vaccine will vanquish the virus, and return life back to normal.” Friday night’s FDA approval comes after a government advisory panel backed the use of the vaccine, which paved the way for the FDA to grant its green light.  In a 17-4 vote with one abstention Thursday, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee concluded that the shot appears safe and effective for emergency use in people 16 and older.  Earlier Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar hinted approval was right around the corner and said people could be receiving the shot as early as Monday or Tuesday.  “I’ve got some good news for you,” Azar said on ABC’s “Go    “I’ve got some good news for you,” Azar said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “Just a little bit ago, the FDA informed Pfizer that they do intend to proceed toward an authorization for their vaccine.” Last week, the booster was approved and immediately rolled out to citizens in the UK. Some British recipients have reported severe allergic reactions to the vaccine, but Pfizer reps told the FDA panel Thursday they’d seen no signs of such reactions in their trial. Nick Note: I know how to play the hand i am dealt. Even if its a shitty one. I have won many a pot with a pair of deuces showing and nothing more.

Nick Bit: this is a braking story. The FDA to approve Pfizer vaccine for emergency use today. This was after Trump threatened to fire FDA director Hahn. and led the FDA to speed up its timetable for potential emergency approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from Saturday morning to later on Friday, according to the Post. The vaccine would be the first to roll out across the US, after also being approved in the UK and Canada.

Get the damn vaccines out now!’ Trump rages at ‘slow turtle’ FDA for taking so long to approve Pfizer vaccine and tells them ‘stop playing games and start saving lives’ – as Azar says approval may still take ‘a couple of days’

• Trump tweeted on Friday that the FDA was a ‘slow turtle’ taking too long to approve the vaccine  
• Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that the FDA ‘told Pfizer it intends to proceed with approval’ but that they were still ‘negotiating’ 
• It could take several days, he said, before approval is actually given much less rolled out across the country
• He claims the first shots in the arm will be on Monday and Tuesday next week but it’s unclear where 
• Meanwhile on Wednesday, the US had its deadliest day yet with 3,144 deaths 
• Twenty-three scientists met on Thursday to discuss if the vaccine was safe and effective  
• They have recommended to the FDA that it should be approved but it still hasn’t
• Both the UK and Canada approved have already approved vaccine 

President Donald Trump raged at the FDA for taking so long to approve Pfizer’s COVID vaccine on Friday morning and ordered them to ‘stop playing games and start saving lives’ as Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said official approval may still take ‘a couple of days’.  A panel of 23 independent scientists voted in favor of the vaccine on Thursday and recommended it to the FDA after a day of long, drawn-out talks over whether or not it is safe.  But the FDA still has not officially given it approval and the first doses haven’t been distributed yet, even though the UK and Canada have both given it the green light.  Health and Human Services Alex Azar says the FDA has told Pfizer it ‘intends to approve’ its COVID vaccine after an excruciating two-and-a-half week wait but inexplicably, it still hasn’t and there is still no date for when the first people will receive it in America. Speaking on Good Morning America, he said: ‘I’ve got some good news for you. Just a little bit ago, the FDA informed Pfizer that they intends to proceed towards approval for its vaccine. ‘In the next couple of days probably as we work to negotiate with Pfizer the information doctors need to prescribe appropriately, we should be seeing the authorization and we’ll be working with Pfizer to get that shipped out so we could be seeing people getting vaccinated Monday, Tuesday of next week.’

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Speaking on Good Morning America, Health and Human Services Alex Azar says the FDA has told Pfizer it ‘intends to approve’ its COVID vaccine after an excruciating two-and-a-half week wait but inexplicably, it still hasn’t

NEW: HHS Azar says FDA will proceed with emergency use authorization for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine and vaccinations could come as soon as Monday or Tuesday of next week. https://t.co/v1dsjMAvCK pic.twitter.com/48CGRJRTVs

— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 1

The first shots in the arm in the US won’t be until Monday or Tuesday at the very earliest. Above, someone getting the vaccine in the UK on December 8

Nick Note: This will be done and the markets will indeed celebrate.

https://youtu.be/om46J9RWfX4

Over 100 Republican lawmakers and 17 GOP state attorneys general are backing a lawsuit at the Supreme Court that seeks to overturn the election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Legal experts say the lawsuit, which was filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is baseless and unlikely to be heard by the high court. Weijia Jiang reports. Nick Note: this is another even that has the markets on edge. I believe that the odds are 10 to 1 that the Supreme Court will toss this case and the markets will breath a sigh of relief.

Congress is preparing to potentially work through the holidays until they can pass more coronavirus aid for the country. CBS News chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes, CBS News political correspondent Ed O’Keefe, and NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith spoke to “Red and Blue” host Elaine Quijano about where negotiations stand, as well as the latest from the outgoing Trump administration and the incoming Biden transition team. Nick Note: Hang tight their will be a deal!

A federal advisory panel on Thursday recommended the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the drug, kicking off a massive nationwide operation to get nearly 3 million doses of the vaccine to hospitals and drug stores across the country.  “We’ve been working very closely with our state and local partners to make sure they have plans in place to identify providers that are able to receive, store and use the vaccine,” said Dr. Anita Patel, deputy of the CDC’s vaccine task force.  The experts voted 17 to 4 in favor of recommending the drug for emergency use for people aged 16 years and older, with one of the members withholding. Health care workers and nursing home residents will be among the first to get the vaccine.  Nick Note: I would not be taking a vaccine that i do not know whats in it. I do not apologize for wanting to know EXACTLY what the monkey chromosomes added were. I find it incredible it has not been disclosed and the doctors in the clown car approved this vaccine solely on the disclosures of the manufacturers. I do not apologize for understanding the sequencing. IF YOU WANT TO trust THESE PEOPLE THATS UP TO YOU. I ran out of trust  for big pharma a long time ago!

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that senators from both parties are making progress on stimulus talks and more meetings are scheduled for later on Thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to speak later on. The S&P 500 Index has returned to positive territory after trading lower earlier in the day.  Mnuchin has said that senators from both parties are making progress on stimulus talks and more meetings are scheduled for later on Thursday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to speak later on. Nick Note: I have been adamant their will be a stimulus deal with happy checks. And And the market does not give a shit about dead baby boomers. Its all about the millennials in the basement smoking pot, playing video games and trading Robin Hood

(Bloomberg) — Stocks fell on concern that prospects for a stimulus deal remain elusive amid the most-intense negotiations over a Covid-19 package since Election Day. The S&P 500 also dropped after data showed applications for U.S. unemployment benefits surged last week, topping most estimates. Technology shares continued to underperform, with Facebook Inc. slipping further as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission took a major step toward a possible breakup of the social-media giant by filing an antitrust lawsuit. Airbnb Inc. will start trading Thursday after DoorDash Inc. supercharged investor expectations by almost doubling in its frenzied public debut. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have given no sign yet that they’re ready to directly engage in negotiations to sort through competing pandemic relief proposals — a step that many lawmakers say will be necessary to complete a deal this month. Meanwhile, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told CNBC that he sees a deal done next week. Elsewhere, the euro rose after policy makers escalated their efforts to shield the region from a possible double-dip recession with another burst of monetary stimulus, while cautioning that it may not use up all the new firepower. The pound fell as negotiations between the U.K. and the European Union were seen on course to end without a trade deal. Surges in Doordash Inc. and C3.ai Inc. on the first day of trading were in keeping with rising speculation for U.S. stock investors, according to Jonthan Krinsky, chief market technician at Bay Crest Partners LLC, who cited the Renaissance IPO and IPOX SPAC indexes. Renaissance Capital LLC’s gauge of initial public offerings rose 32% from a late-October low through Tuesday. In a similar period, IPOX Schuster LLC’s index of current and former blank-check companies climbed 40%. The IPO index fell 3.2% Wednesday even as Doordash gained 86% and C3.ai jumped 120%. The SPAC index rose 0.3%. Nick Note: This is a temporary pull back. The big downward move we see coming in the first quarter. Soon the vaccines and stimulus will come and the market will rally again. Remember their is a lot of cash that has got to go into the mraket